NBA Commentary: Golden State Warriors vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Joshua Biers: Well, thanks to TNT’s delayed video schedule, we have to watch fat Carm for another seven minutes. We might be starting off right in the middle of the first quarter but that’s okay.
Matt Tuckness: I can’t stand watching Carmelo’s lazy and selfish style of basketball. His constant bitching and poor body language set the tone for what is going to be a long and disappointing Knicks season.
Joshua Biers: Classic fat Carm. Anyways, I’ll take this opportunity to voice my prediction for tonight’s game. With the Thunder coming off a loss at Staples last night and travelling to Oracle for the second game of a back-to-back, I expect them to be hungry for a win, but tired (Except for Serge Ibaka, who only played a half before he was ejected last night). If the Warriors push the pace early and get an early lead, they should cruise to an semi-easy victory. Nonetheless, I never count out an angry Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Thunder by six, 110-104.
Matt Tuckness: I am a little upset as a basketball fan that the Warriors won’t get a chance to test themselves against a fresh Thunder squad. With that being said, this is still going to be a tough one for them. If the Warriors make the Thunder work on both ends of the floor they may be able to wear them out in the second half. I am really excited to see the matchup between Igua and Durant tonight. The Warriors paid Igua 40 of his 48 million for this exact reason. They realized that the two best players in the NBA are large small forwards and they needed to bring someone in who could slow them down.
Joshua Biers: Well, way to expand on some of my points there. Buttness.
Matt Tuckness: This Rockets game needs to end now. I can’t take the hack-a-dwight strategy anymore, talk about awful television. I need me some Warriors!!!!! (and Steph of course). I think Warriors win 97-92. I am all in on the Warriors defense. What a pleasant surprise, we have word The Sports Philosopher aka Ryan Rodriguez is about to join us. Hopefully he is able to seamlessly integrate with our effortless rapport.
Ryan Rodriguez: What up boys. Melo is gonna win this one. Shut up with that Carm shit. Fat boy Melo is acceptable. Are you guys ready for a Steph/Russ scoring explosion? I think 60 points between them.
Josh Biers: The Knicks- Rockets game is not over yet, but it looks like the Warriors are maintaining a 14-9 lead over the Thunder in the first four minutes of action.
Matt Tuckness: I am going crazy right now. I am pretty close to calling the TNT network and berating them for this nonsense. How can they take the Warriors off their local network and then not show us the game on another station. I don’t care about this game at all. I want me some Steph right now.
Joshua Biers (18 OKC-16 GSW): Finally. We tune in and the Thunder are on a 9-2 run with five minutes left in the first quarter. Westbrook throws down on the fast break and the lead is up to five. So far the Thunder look fresh as they executed the fast break to perfection and KD had a beautiful step-back jumper.
Matt Tuckness (23 OKC- 18 GSW) That was a nice dunk by David Lee on Ibaka. Since we have tuned in, I’ve seen some sloppy basketball. If the Warriors put up another 20+ turnover night then they are going to lose this game by a large margin.
Joshua Biers (25 OKC- 25 GSW): I imagine this game will be very up and down as both teams have the same strengths in their shooting and fast-paced offenses. Expect to see a lot of quick runs and lead changes. Both teams are shooting incredibly right now, they haven’t missed from three-point range yet!
Matt Tuckness(28 OKC-27 GSW): The Warriors need to continue to run Klay and Steph through screens on the baseline. I hope the outside shooting doesn’t cool down. Five three pointers from the Warriors and three from the Thunder. Steph and Klay both have two apiece.
Ryan Rodriguez (28 OKC-29 GSW) Jermaine with two free throws. Gotta love the old man. Jeremy Lamb just missed by a mile on his three-pointer. He struggles. Didn’t look good against the Clippers either. It’s kind of sad because I liked him in college. Just doesn’t seem to have the mentality, or skill to overcome the lack of truly professional mentality needed to succeed in the NBA. Hopefully he proves me wrong.
Matt Tuckness (31 OKC-29 GSW): He noticed you writing and just drilled a 3. Give him some time, he’s still young, talented player. Speights with the 3! I hope he doesn’t take too many of those tonight. Jermaine has been solid from the line ever since he added the pause at the top of his shot. He shot 83.5% from the line last year.
Joshua Biers (33 OKC- 32 GSW): It’s the end of the first quarter and if they keep this pace up, we’ll be seeing a final score in the 120’s. So far, I’ve seen a good offensive flow for both teams but they forced the three a little too much at the end there. I suspect this is because the subs are in, but it’s been enjoyable and close so far. Ibaka is playing well and it was a pleasant surprise to see Mareese Speights jack-up and make a three. God I hope the Warriors lose tonight, I hate a happy Matt Tuckness. Something about it angers me so much.
Matt Tuckness: I love my Warriors and I love that they’ll be a million times better than that old man Nash and the Lakers this year. Anyways, let’s hope the Warriors keep it fast paced because the last game we watched together was some ugly half court ball against the Grizzlies.
Joshua Biers (42 OKC- 39 GSW): I just love it when you say something and it turns out to be completely wrong Ryan. Jeremy Lamb just hit his third three. Stephen Curry is absolutely proving why he’s the NBA’s most exciting shooter, hitting a couple of in-your-face jumpers. Matt can’t stop grinning.
Matt Tuckness (44 OKC-39 GSW): Is the Thunder bench good? They are playing a few talented college players, but do we know what we can expect from them this year? I feel like this Warriors lineup should be dominating. Once again the Warriors getting dominated on the offensive glass while committing careless turnovers. The Thunder have out rebounded the Warriors thus far by 13.
Ryan Rodriguez (46 OKC-41 GSW): Only time will tell whether or not the Thunder bench will be good. As of right now, I don’t trust them very much, besides my newest foreign basketball crush, the Kiwi Steven Adams (I don’t actually trust him, just like how he plays). Good job by Harrision to attack Westbrook with the post up. Punish the smaller guy.
Joshua Biers (47OKC- 43- GSW): I also agree, big boy Perry and Jeremy Lamb were college stars who have yet to completely transition over to the NBA. Good point Rammy. There are surprising number of mismatches this game. Curry has no business guarding westbrook, Draymond Green doesn’t have the footspeed to defend KD, and the Thunder are going to have trouble with Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes.
Matt Tuckness (49 OKC- 45 GSW): Mark Jackson answers these mismatches by placing the Warriors with a 3-2 zone. I like the move against this fast Thunder team. Klay is feeling it this game. Dear America, The Super Splash Bros are making it rain tonight. Enjoy.
Joshua Biers (53 OKC- 53 GSW): Steph is running the Warrior’s offense to perfection, driving in to draw the defense and dishing it out to his fellow teammates for open shots. It amazes me how Klay can shoot in such a quick motion. I don’t know if he has the quickest release in the NBA, but it sure is up there.
Matt Tuckness (53 OKC- 53 GSW): This is a big last three minutes for the Warriors right now. They need to finish this half strong and give themselves some distance. The Warriors are playing excellent defense, only to allow the Thunder the opportunity to grab offensive rebounds. Oklahoma City is to good to let them hang around.
Joshua Biers (Halftime)- The end of the quarter was the David Lee show. I honestly don’t really get it, but he’s got a deep arsenal of post moves. The only reason the Warriors haven’t run away with this game is because of offensive rebounds and turnovers, issues that have plagued this team so far this season.
Ryan Rodriguez (62OKC-62 GSW) He’s a very good offensive player. Can’t play a lick of D but scores the ball.
Matt Tuckness : I agree. David Lee has a beautiful sky hook and is truly ambidextrous. He does struggle on the defensive end, but makes up for it slightly with his ability to rebound. With that being said the Warriors have been getting killed on the glass. Just looks lazy to me. I am not sure that Klay and Steph will be able to keep up this hot shooting in the second half. They are going to need their bench to pick up the slack in a game like this.
Joshua Biers: I’m pretty excited about this second half. Matt and I have bonded over our mutual hatred of the Thunder and all tension is gone. The pizza also helped. The Warriors are shooting a ridiculous 9-11 from beyond the arc, which surely won’t be sustainable but I hope we get see the hot shooting continue. Both teams are about equal right now, but I have a feeling this game could potentially be blown open at any moment.
Ryan Rodriguez: Why would anyone hate the Thunder? Westbrook and Durant alone are awesome.
Matt Tuckness: Just tonight I hate the Thunder, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Its my duty as a fan of the Warriors. I think I may be addicted to the Super Splash Bros shooting threes. Every time one of them makes a three its like I just got my fix. I may overdose by the time this game is over.
Ryan Rodriguez: You don’t have to hate them. Just the Lakers and Clips really, division rivals.
Joshua Biers: It’s easy to hate Westbrook. He’s loud and obnoxious and he’s got a bad attitude. Some people might say he just has a competitive streak, but I think he’s a poor sport. The second half starts with a flurry of baskets, including a ridiculous bank by Russ as the shot clock sounded. The Warriors turned it over on their side and it’s off to the races and Westbrook goes full steam ahead.
Matt Tuckness (67 OKC-67 GSW): YUP! What a defensive play by David Lee taking the charge. Klay with the three! He is on fuego! More threes please!
Joshua Biers (OKC 69- 72 GSW): This game is so fun to watch. It’s actually like a video game, it’s just pure offense. Klay Thompson is 6-7 from beyond the arc for 20 points. This guy is hitting threes with a hand in his face and off-balance, one of the purest shooters in the league. I was just telling Matt, David Lee manages to put together quietest double-doubles up and is often overlooked in discussions about efficiency. The only reason the Warriors aren’t up by double digits is because Westbrook has been lighting it up and the Thunder are cleaning up the boards and getting transition points.
Matt Tuckness (OKC 71 74 GSW): Steph is just putting on a show right now. That first of two lay-ups he just scored in transition almost hit the ceiling he put it so high in the air trying to get it over Ibaka. The second was just lazy defense by the Thunder bigs. They need to get back on D to prevent the easy two. The Warriors are doing a good job of not turning the ball over.
Ryan Rodriguez (73 OKC- 79 GSW) Ibaka has looked really good the last 2 nights, and Russ really makes a difference for him. Curry can be so crafty inside with his layups sometimes, does some crazy things with his body.
Joshua Biers (75 OKC- 79 GSW): I agree, Ibaka has been the best Thunder player on the floor tonight. Two quick turnovers by the Warriors. Could you have jinxed them with your gloating Matt?
Matt Tuckness (77 OKC-81 GSW): I’m sorry Mr. Biers, but I disagree with your outlandish claims. Westbrook has been the best player tonight, but when he does this he can take Kevin Durant out of the game. Steph is a not just a shooter he is a scorer. He just doesn’t penetrate and look to finish because he is an excellent passer and a lethal three point shooter. Steph with the huge three! 84-77 lead for the Warriors. Steph’s patience is incredible behind the arc, he baited Westbrook into trying to block the shot and a simple step to the side allowed him the time to line up his shot.
Ryan Rodriguez (77 OKC-84 GSW) Right you are Matt. Westbrook answers Josh’s mistake with a pull-up J.
Joshua Biers (OKC 80- GSW 84): Curry throws the ball away and Thabo takes it down the length of the court for the And-1 lay-up. I hope this isn’t a change in momentum. And right on cue, Ibaka hits a jumper to make it a two point game.
Ryan Rodriguez (80 OKC- 84 GSW) That was a bad foul on Iggy. If you are going to foul him, foul him and prevent the three-point play.
Matt Tuckness (82 OKC-86 GSW): It’s not good for the Thunder when I am surprised KD is shooting a 3 because I thought he was on the bench. He’s been a ghost so far and I’m afraid he’s just waiting to take over this 4th quarter. Jermaine with the big block after the Igua free throws. Good to see Igua make two in a row.
Joshua Biers: Harrison Barnes draws the Durantula’s fourth foul. This would be a great time for the Warriors to go on a run. The Warriors are shooting more than 70% from the three-point line, an unprecedented number considering they’ve taken over 15 threes.
Matt Tuckness(86 OKC-95 GSW- End of the third) What a b-e-a-utiful run by the Warriors to close that quarter out. Harrison Barnes making huge shots for the Warriors to extend the lead to nine. It would have been nice for him to finish that layup to make it double digits, but I think Mark Jackson will be happy with a nine point lead heading into the 4th. Can the Warriors keep up this defensive intensity? Igua has been doing a great job on Durant tonight. He does owe some credit to Westbrook, but Durant has been very quiet since the 1st quarter.
Ryan Rodriguez (Beginning of the 4th): Quick tangent. Where does Mark Jackson rank in NBA coaches? And who do you have top 5 (Doc, Pop, Carlisle, Spo, and Thibs for me).
Joshua Biers: I think he ranks in the top five. His confidence is off the charts as he guaranteed a Warriors playoff appearance during his first year. He wasn’t able to follow through, but his faith was commendable. As a former star point guard, he offers great insight for Steph Curry and we have seen his improvements since Jackson became coach. My top five coaches are Frank Vogel, Gregg Poppovich, Mark Jackson, Erik Spoelstra, and Tom Thibodeau. The fourth quarter is starting and the Warriors can end it now if the extend their lead.
Matt Tuckness (100 GSW-86 OKC): This is what I was worried about with the Thunder coming off a back to back. The Warriors play a fast, active offense with aggressive and physical defense. They look like they are wearing the Thunder out to me. I am not sure they will have the legs to make enough of a run to get back in the game.
Ryan Rodriguez (86 OKC-100 GSW) I really like this Warriors team. So fun to watch and they play good team ball. Plus shooters make everything great. I think they win this staying up 10 to 15.
Joshua Biers (102 GS-90 OKC): I have had it. That’s it. Why are Jermaine O’Neal isolation plays being called in the fourth quarter? Did Mark Jackson look at his clipboard and decide “I think I’m going to go with Jermaine this play”. O’Neal will give you solid minutes. He can rebound and block shots, but he is severely limited offensively. You have some of the greatest offensive weapons in the NBA on your team. Use them.
Matt Tuckness (104 GSW-90 OKC): Feed the beast! Just kidding. This is terrifying to watch, but the Warriors have no other offensive post presence in the second group. Speights scores from mid-range more than down low. Mark Jackson quickly brought David Lee back in to prevent anymore Jermaine iso’s. And he responds with a beautiful put-back slam!
Ryan Rodriguez (90 OKC-104 GSW) Great accomplishment for Jermaine to get 13,000, 7,000 and 1,000 blocks. Always liked him in Indiana.
Joshua Biers (108 GSW-97 OKC): 13,000 points in 18 seasons? Yuck. Back at Oracle, I think if the Warriors extend their lead to 16-17, coach Scotty Brooks of the Thunder will throw in the towel and put in the reserves.
Ryan Rodriguez: It took him awhile to break in and he has been injured/a dead man for the last 5 years or so. It’s been a grind. KD with the 3. Ruh-roh Tuckness. Thunder down 100-108
Matt Tuckness (108 GSW-100 OKC): Way to jinx the Warriors Josh and cut this lead to 8. Kevin Durant is finally making his presence known cutting the lead to single digits. Jackson quickly called a timeout to get a bucket on the other end to make the double digits again. If the Warriors can continue to keep the Thunder at a comfortable arms length they can pull out this big home win, but I don’t feel very comfortable right now.
Joshua Biers (108 GSW-102 OKC): Serge Ibaka put in a HUGE and-1 basket and now its 108-103. He has 25 points and 11 rebounds on the night and he has blocked David Lee twice in a row on the last two Warriors possessions. Coach Jackson has now drawn up plays for only O’Neal and Lee in the fourth.Questionable.
Matt Tuckness(108 GSW-103 OKC): The Warriors picking up two huge offensive rebounds on their last possession, so uncharacteristic of them late in games. However, the Warriors are just letting this game slip away. They have lost all of the offensive momentum that they had early in this quarter.
Joshua Biers (109 GSW-106 OKC): If you want overtime, than you want the Warriors to win, because there’s no way the Thunder are going to prevail in extra time. They’re using their last reserves to spurn this late charge and I doubt they’ll have the energy to mount an offensive if an extra five minutes is tacked on at the end of regulation.
Matt Tuckness (112 GSW-106 OKC): Great defense led to the big and-1. The Warriors really needed that one. This is reminiscent of their playoff games from last year. Putting up big leads in the 3rd quarter from big Steph performances and then holding on at the end instead of putting the team away.
Joshua Biers: I would like everyone to know that I picked out Ibaka to be the best player in the match-up and he hasn’t disappointed with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Matt Tuckness (112 GSW-108 OKC): I am not liking this David Lee isolation in the post. The ball needs to be going to Steph at some point in the possession.
Joshua Biers (114GSW-112 OKC): Two free-throws by KD and a beautiful drive by Reggie Jackson has cut this lead to two. Curry misses a long two pointer and theres 12 seconds to go. Westbrook has it in his hands and he’s brining it up court. Are they going to call timeout? Are they going for three?
Matt Tuckness (114 GSW-112 OKC): NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joshua Biers (115 OKC-114 GSW): HE GOT IT!!! Westbrook sinks a cold-blooded three!!! Unbelievable. He calmly pulls up from two feet beyond the three-point line and drills a line-drive over Klay! What poor defense by Thompson. The Warriors completely blew their double digit lead. What an incredible rally by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ryan Rodriguez: Russ!!!!!!!!!! That was awesome. Holster your barrells you ridiculous hipster!
Joshua Biers (115 OKC- 114GSW): My god. Tuckness is slumped over his computer sobbing his eyes out and whispering “I trusted you Steph” to himself over and over again. What is Mark Jackson going to do? It’s got to go to one of the Super Splash Bros. There’s only 2.3 seconds on the clock.
Matt Tuckness: IGUAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THE FADE AWAY TWO FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IGUA!!!!! WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!
An exuberant Iguodala celebrates after hitting the game winner against Oklahoma City on Thursday night.
Joshua Biers (115 OKC- 116 GSW): That was incredible. What a beautiful end to this game. Matt’s tears of pain have now turned to tears of joy. The fans certainly got their money worth’s with this one. What a nailbiter. Iggy has already cemented himself in Warriors lore with that shot. He got in on the inbounds and faded away towards the baseline. The moment he let it go, you knew it was in. It was perfectly on line with the hoop and a fitting end to such an hard-fought game. I’m exhausted and so is Matt. He’s making a vain attempt at regaining any shred of dignity he might have left after drooling and slobbering all over the couch when he thought the Warriors had lost. Until next time, Biers signing off.